Do you see that? That boobage? Ffft damn, it doesn't even look like I'm wearing a binder. Well probably cause I'm not....-sweatdrop- I was wearing an extra small/small sports bra and at the end of the three days at Comic Con I had welts going down my neck to my shoulder blades. Not very pleasant...

So since you now know/have an idea of what my upper body looks like, which binder do you think will be best to cover all of that? (and I mean ALL OF THAT, TUMMY INCLUDED). I am 5'8/5'9, 38A/38B.

Edit:
After looking at the photos again...It doesn't look like I would really need a binder that much, however does it look passable? I am kinda nit picky with my crossplays so ><;

Do you see that? That boobage? Ffft damn, it doesn't even look like I'm wearing a binder. Well probably cause I'm not....-sweatdrop- I was wearing an extra small/small sports bra and at the end of the three days at Comic Con I had welts going down my neck to my shoulder blades. Not very pleasant...

So since you now know/have an idea of what my upper body looks like, which binder do you think will be best to cover all of that? (and I mean ALL OF THAT, TUMMY INCLUDED). I am 5'8/5'9, 38A/38B.

Edit:
After looking at the photos again...It doesn't look like I would really need a binder that much, however does it look passable? I am kinda nit picky with my crossplays so ><;

Ahhh its been a long time since I cosplayed Marik. and ouch, sorry to hear that 0.0, you should of probably wore a comfortable sports bra and add sport tape atop of it, so that way it wouldn't touch your skin and would stay nice and tight.

For Marik I used ACE bandages that were pretty wide and long, wrap them nicely on my chest. (i found that laying on my back works well since well....the girls don't push when Im wearing the bandages). I made sure the bandages were nice and firm by putting tape atop of the bandages. It lasted me for awhile tho I was itchy because of the bandages. I think a sports bra would be best and not one thats smaller then your size.

you may be able to make your own binder since I had one that was abit small on the waist size and after studying it and unsewing it into pieces. I noticed that the fabric they used is some sort of elastic fabric that stretches (should of ask what the name for it). I seen this sort of fabric around fashion ave stores in NYC. The bottom part of the binder was a nice soft cotton that stretches and on one side of the binder, you had velcro to close it. It closes pretty good so you get an idea of it.

Question for those of you who have purchased from underworks. I am planning on buying a tri-top but I fall between their sizes. My upper measurement is 36.5 and my under is 31 which has a mean of 33.75 in. The medium is listed for 34-36 and the small for 31-33. I don't want to have it not do the job, but I also don't want to be squeezed to death. Any advice based on either similar experience or just how tight your properly fitting one is?

__________________~Yes that magical mystical devise known to most people as a "sewing machine"~

Ahhh its been a long time since I cosplayed Marik. and ouch, sorry to hear that 0.0, you should of probably wore a comfortable sports bra and add sport tape atop of it, so that way it wouldn't touch your skin and would stay nice and tight.

For Marik I used ACE bandages that were pretty wide and long, wrap them nicely on my chest. (i found that laying on my back works well since well....the girls don't push when Im wearing the bandages). I made sure the bandages were nice and firm by putting tape atop of the bandages. It lasted me for awhile tho I was itchy because of the bandages. I think a sports bra would be best and not one thats smaller then your size.

you may be able to make your own binder since I had one that was abit small on the waist size and after studying it and unsewing it into pieces. I noticed that the fabric they used is some sort of elastic fabric that stretches (should of ask what the name for it). I seen this sort of fabric around fashion ave stores in NYC. The bottom part of the binder was a nice soft cotton that stretches and on one side of the binder, you had velcro to close it. It closes pretty good so you get an idea of it.

The thing is I rather stay away from Ace bandages since I have tried it once and in fact I looked two cups sizes larger than I started with. Not to mention that it hurt after a few moments of breathing. I tend to switch between chest breathing and diaphragm breathing but when I am really passionate about something, chest breathing it is. It felt just as bad as the sports bra.
The sports bra was two sizes too small for me, but when I tested it in stores, it constricted the girls fairly well. I think the reason why I got those welts was not because it was too tight and because it was moving around (in fact I barely realized that I had it on half of the time). I feel it was because of the labor I was doing (carrying a giant chainsaw, dancing, walking around for hours without breaks...).

As for making my own binder, I did not think of that. I'll look into it, but I rather buy something that is professionally made than hurting myself with a half-assed home-made binder.

i bought 2 yards of the 3" elastic to try this binding. It did not work.

Ok, so I'm thinking of ordering the tri top binder from Underworks. I'm a 36DD (34DD if you ask the Victoria's Secret girls) and more on the floppy side. Problem is, I'm wearing V-neck shirts, and I'm afraid the collar is too high and will show through the V. Can I cut the fabric to match, or will that ruin the effectiveness of the compression? I plan to be active at the convention, so will this get in the way of jumping around? (I'm naturally like that anyway). Please help before I spend hard earned money on something I've never tried before.

i bought 2 yards of the 3" elastic to try this binding. It did not work.

Ok, so I'm thinking of ordering the tri top binder from Underworks. I'm a 36DD (34DD if you ask the Victoria's Secret girls) and more on the floppy side. Problem is, I'm wearing V-neck shirts, and I'm afraid the collar is too high and will show through the V. Can I cut the fabric to match, or will that ruin the effectiveness of the compression? I plan to be active at the convention, so will this get in the way of jumping around? (I'm naturally like that anyway). Please help before I spend hard earned money on something I've never tried before.

HEEEEEELLLLLLLPPPP!!!!!

Sadly at your size a proper binder is going to be the only effective method that is safe.

The tri-top is a good start make sure to measure yourself properly according to the underworks guidelines to get the right size and if you are inbetween sizes I would recomend going for the larger size if you are going to be very active so that it will not limit your breathing to much.

I have seen people cut the fabric to make a lower neck line and they simply recommend hand stictching over any seams that you cut through to strengthen it. however the edges of the fabric with be very rough and scratchy so putting some bias binding onto the raw edge would be recommened as well.

Otherwize check out LesLoveBoat they have a wide wide of styles and colours including v-neck and strapless binders though they are more expensieve than underworks.

The compression shirt I just got from bodyworks is amazing. I ordered a shirt in my bist size, 40 in. And it brought be down to 36 and a half. Makes you pretty flat but if you have a good sized chest you won't be flat as a board but its not noticable. Next time I think ill just get the tri top. I got a long shirt to help flatten my tummy but it just rolls up. Tho if I tuck it in it won't roll up. Amazing for large chested girls. I do have pics but you'll have to visit my fb page cuz I can't upload pics to coscom from my phone.

It came in the mail today! It's Juuuuuuust long enough to cover the subjects.
Oh.... my....... lord......... that took forever to put on. *huff puff huff puff.* But the girls. they're... they're gone. .... I'm a B cup at the most. ... *blinks in shock.* I haven't been this boobless since I was 13.
OH HAPPY DAY!
Plus, the collar is low enough that I don't have to fear the V-neck. I'm going to take pictures once I finish eating dinner and show off the no-chest.
Thank you everyone for your suggestions and help.

I wore the tri top binder all day, and it worked perfectly. I wasn't in pain,and I could breathe. It took some getting used to, but even taking it off at the end of the day was easy. This was an excellent suggested by your wonderful folks. Thanks. My cosplaying days just got more comfortable.

Some advice?
I'm a 38 D/DD and so far I've been hardly managing with 2 sports bras and cosplays with baggier shirts/tops, or making my own out of something that doesn't have a whole lot of stretch to it, which usually gets me down to a C or a B, but I'm planning some crossplays with tighter fitting tops so I figure it's time to get an actual binder of some sorts.
I've been considering underworks because they seem to have the best reviews out of everything I've seen, but I'm hoping to not spend a whole lot. I found 2 underworks compression shirts on amazon for around $20, but I'm not sure if they'd work?